Gore-Tex: A success story

More than 30 years have passed since Norrøna partnered with Gore-Tex.

"GORE HAS BEEN to Everest. And we've been to the moon." The Swedish chemical engineer Jonas Larsson, a Gore sales manager in Scandinavia, is speaking with us inside a big office building in the Scottish countryside. Also present is Chris Blackwood, Gore's retailing chief in Great Britain. Norrøna Magazine has come for an exclusive tour of the company's test laboratories. Through the window we can see the rain falling – Gore-Tex weather. "We've been to Mars, too," says Chris. "Anyone for a cup of tea?"

IMAGINE 1958. The Russians launch Sputnik. Madonna is born. Elvis Presley is inducted into the U.S. Army. And in the city of Newark, in the American state of Delaware, Bill and Vieve Gore lean over a work table in the basement. What are they looking at? Polytetrafluoroethylene, of course. Or rather: Teflon. To make a long story short the Gores discover that Teflon's properties make it useful in a variety of electronic products. The married couple then starts W. L. Gore & Associates, a company often referred to simply as Gore. They earn money, invite their son Bob Gore to join the fun, and in 1969, while Bob is toiling with polytetrafluoroethylene in the company's lab, he suddenly discovers an all-new material: expanded polytetrafluoroethylene, or ePTFE, if you will. Bingo.

THE NEW MATERIAL quickly proved to have useful functions throughout the economy: The aircraft industry wanted it, as did the aerospace industry, the auto industry and the medical industry. It made its way into technological products of every kind. "A fresh bit of news for you is that Gore's technology makes for better guitar strings," Jonas says. "And it's an important ingredient in the brand new roof over Centre Court at Wimbledon." It's no wonder W. L. Gore & Associates now employs more than 8,000 people around the world, and generates USD 2.5 billion in annual revenues. Yes, that's billions with a "b". Gore today is one of the 200 largest privately owned companies in the United States. It has 2,000 different patents. One area of expertise is medical implants. So far Gore has produced 25 million of them to help people the world over lead longer and better lives.

IT WAS IN 1976 that Gore launched its very first garment made with Gore-Tex. The idea was as good as gold: Millions of small pores in the Gore-Tex membrane would hold out wind and rain while letting perspiration escape. No matter the weather, you could now stay warm and dry. Just a year later, in 1977, a Gore-Tex jacket appeared in Norway for the first time. The American ice climber Henry Barber was visiting Norrøna's Tomas Carlstrøm, and together they travelled to Årdal for a look at the waterfall Vettisfossen. Barber had on a Banana Equipment climbing suit made of the new wonder material, and Carlstrøm's interest grew. He then took direct contact with Gore, and before the year was out had arranged for a Norrøna jacket to be sewn from Gore-Tex. Norrøna's first Gore-Tex model went into regular production in 1979. It was, of course, named "Trollveggen." It would be worn during the first winter ascent of Trollveggen's Swedish Route (see report in this issue) as well as the ascent of Great Trango Tower in Pakistan in 1984 and the first Norwegian ascent of Mount Everest, in 1985. Norrøna's collaboration with Gore has now lasted 30 years, and the two companies continue to develop new concepts together.

TODAY, GORE-TEX products are divided into categories: Pro shell, Performance shell, Soft shell and PacLite shell. Each category serves a different use or user group, and the labels are well known to outdoorsfolk across the globe. In addition to Norrøna, Gore works with companies like The North Face, Mountain Hardwear, Sweet, Haglöfs, Mammut, Salomon, Arcteryx, Peak Performance, Berghaus, Adidas and more than 100 other producers of outerwear and sporting goods. "You could say that in many ways we have a dream job," Jonas Larsson says with a smile. "Yes, we help millions of people stay safe and comfortable while they are out performing their favourite activities," says Chris Blackwood. "It doesn't get any better than that." Read more at www.gore-tex.com and www.norrona.no

Text: Eivind Eidslott
Photos: Chris Holter